UK: Positive Traction has been awarded an order to rebuild a Class 08 diesel shunter used by Heidelberg Materials at Whatley Quarry into an 08e zero-emission battery locomotive.
This follows two weeks of trials with the prototype 08e loco at the quarry in October.
The production loco will be based on 60-year old loco 08296 from the aggregates supplier’s existing fleet.
The prototype has two 88 kWh ‘PT Powerpod’ modules with lithium-ferro-phosphate traction batteries from Lithion Battery Inc. The production loco will be equipped with six upgraded pods totalling more than 600 kWh, enabling it to complete a full shift of constant activity under heavy load with a good margin. Positive Traction said an electric car would have a range of over 3 000 km if it had a battery of this size.
The production loco will also have redesigned traction and auxiliary units, informed by experience from the trial. It will be delivered this summer.
‘We were enormously impressed by the trial of the prototype 08e easily mastering 1 000-tonne aggregate trains on what is a steep and challenging internal quarry network in places’, said Heidelberg Materials Area General Manager Vincent Pitt on January 23.
‘By offering a donor vehicle for conversion by the Positive Traction team, we can capitalise on our existing assets and secure the long-term future of these powerful shunting locomotives in a sustainable way.’
